Free wi-fi for central Christchurch

Free central city wi-fi to roll out over the next six months.Tom Peterson

'Better late than never, right?' says business association. Free wi-fi will roll from May over six months.

Central City Business Association chairman Brendan Chase said the free wi-fi plan was "very positive" for Christchurch. It' was good to see the Christchurch City Council taking this initiative after a long earthquake recovery period, he said.

"Everyone has digital and social media lives now. To have a free service available is attractive and it's certainly going to appeal to young people."

Chase said 2017 was a turning point for the population in the central city.

"Our CBD has been pretty sparsely populated up until now. I think 2017 is a real turning point in that regard. Perhaps it's slightly late, but better late than never, right?"